Laguna's cancer-fighting T-shirt shop closes storefront

LAGUNA BEACH – For three years, Jim and Mina Buc have taken on the financial and emotional needs of cancer patients through their Don't Worry Be Happy Foundation.

Online sales of T-shirts bearing their lighthearted message served as the cornerstone of their work, and in May, they expanded into a North Laguna storefront. After only six months, however, the Happy Place will close as Mina deals with a diagnosis of her own – breast cancer.

The 54-year-old Laguna Beach resident said it's time to take her own advice and reduce the stress in her life so she can heal.

"It's just too much to keep up," she said.

Through their foundation, the Bucs have dedicated their lives to easing the day-to-day struggles of people fighting cancer. Fewer worries make for happier and healthier patients, Jim Buc said.

The couple saw the power of a positive approach in their nephew, Kevin Carlberg. Four years ago, the Bucs lost their home to wildfire in Yorba Linda and began to reevaluate their future. They spent more time with Carlberg, who was fighting glioblastoma – a brain tumor. Throughout his treatments, he'd wear the same faded T-shirt with his motto, "Don't worry, be happy." He beat the odds of his diagnosis, surviving more than three times longer than the average patient. At age 32, he died from the disease.

Mina Buc said Carlberg would cheer up everyone around him while he was in the hospital.

"He didn't really worry about himself," she said.

Inspired by his fight with cancer, the Bucs began thinking about what they could do. Knowing that they would be working with small amounts, they settled on helping with the living expenses of individuals who they call cancer warriors – where the dollars raised could have the biggest impact.

"People could actually donate and see where the money was going," she said.

Even as the Bucs turn their attention to Mina's health, their commitment to their 30 warriors remains strong.

"They all become our family," she said.

Through the funds raised by T-shirt sales and donations, Don't Worry Be Happy helps cover bills, medical deductibles and food at the holidays. Each warrior's needs are different, so the Bucs offer whatever help will relieve some of the stress that's unavoidable with a diagnosis.

"Cancer just inherently causes worry," Jim Buc said.

As the foundation has organized fundraisers, the benefits have gone beyond monetary. The fundraising campaigns connect family and friends to the warriors as they show their support by wearing T-shirts. As people reconnect, the emotional boost cancer patients receive is therapeutic, he said.

At the Happy Place, the foundation's exciting expansion has brought too many of its own worries. The storefront is staffed with volunteers, but Mina has continued to shoulder the bulk of the work, often with 12-hour shifts, her husband said.

"We just need to back down, go back to an online store, go back to smaller stock," he said.

The Happy Place will close shop at 1042 N. Coast Highway Nov. 30, but online sales and donations will continue as the foundation keeps pursuing its mission. Once her treatments are under control, Mina Buc said she'd like to reopen a physical store.

Most of the warriors live in Orange County, with three from Laguna Beach. The foundation has helped people around the country however, and the Bucs estimate shirt sales in the tens of thousands.

"So many people want to help, and they just don't know what to do," Jim Buc said.

The couple's sincerity led Laguna Beach resident Toni Kellenberg to set up the Laguna Cares fund through the foundation. So far, she's pledged $1,000 to the fund, and she's encouraged friends and neighbors to wear their shirts on Nov. 16, which she is calling Don't Worry Be Happy Day. "Emotionally, the support they give the warriors is almost as valuable as the financial aid," she said.

Kellenberg, a breast cancer survivor, first heard about the foundation through one of its warriors, a single-mother diagnosed with breast cancer. Kellenberg knew she had to help, especially since she had been lucky to have a large family support system during her fight with the disease.

"I just had to worry about getting better," she said. "She's had to survive."

Even as Don't Worry Be Happy moves back to an online-only operation, Kellenberg said she'll continue to work on her Laguna Cares fund and its mission of meeting the most urgent needs of Laguna Beach residents with cancer. She hopes the money and the support will help those staring down cancer be a little happier.

"It's really an uplifting, positive message about a very serious, terrible disease."